Washington D.C. is in many ways a city of museums.  In it you can probably find a museum for every subject of interest.  With so many to choose from, how do you decide which ones you would love most?  Here are two unique D.C. museums that are all about today's current events and/or extremely meaningful in light of them.

You've probably seen Washington D.C.'s Newseum on television or film but just didn't know it. The museum is a popular landmark for broadcasting, because it is in fact a celebration of the news. Its exhibits are dedicated to headlines past and present and to the amazing journalists who brought the headlines to us. Imagine being responsible to share with the world its stories of celebration and of tragedy. The very best or the very worst has happened, and you have to explain it, armed only with a camera and a pen. This is the task of journalists every single day, and the Newseum is designed to help us understand their struggle and their success.

Perhaps the most tragic day in recent history at least for US Americans happened in September 11, 2001. We sat glued to our televisions and our newspapers for days, weeks, and months following the terrorist attacks that day, trying to make sense of what had happened, to know the people it had affected most, and to figure out what in the world we were supposed to do now. The burden of fashioning photos and words to accompany those emotions fell on journalists around the world, and we leaned on them almost as heavily - perhaps more so - as we leaned on our faiths and worldviews.

An entire exhibit in the Newseum is dedicated to that day and to its headlines. The exhibit is sponsored by Comcast, and it's a literal tower of headlines where visitors can experience the events of 9/11 through the eyes of someone attempting to capture it for the world.

This museum is a perfect attraction for Washington D.C. student tours. And perhaps its most educational exhibit is the Pullman Family Great Books Gallery. Here visitors can view the pages of history's most important documents. The Newseum also surrounds its visitors with current events from around the world. Here you can drink your morning coffee in front of the headlines from over 500 United States newspapers in the Front Pages display, thus making the Newseum a celebration of the newsmakers from yesterday and today.

If you're like me, the mere thought that there is a museum devoted to Espionage is pretty intriguing.  And that sense of intrigue only continues from the moment you enter the International Spy Museum.  Its founders consider it their mission to educate the museum's visitors on all things espionage, especially its very important role in historical and current events.

Seriously, the expectation is that you'll be surprised by just how much of history went down largely in part to spies.  The museum gives you a look at several historical events through the eyes of espionage.  Almost any Sunday School student can tell you that Moses made use of spies in the Old Testament account of the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the already-inhabited, so-called Promised Land.  So, that particular revelation won't surprise very many in the group.  But the museum tells several more stories like that - maybe some in which the presence of spies has not before crossed your mind.

Besies the stories, the International Spy Museum shows you - to an extent - how it's done.  Interactive displays allow actual spies to describe the challenges and triumphs of their trade.  Plus, you'll witness over 200 tools of the trade and understand their use in real life espionage.

The role of the Department of Defense, including the more mysterious aspect of espionage, has in recent years emerged out of cinema and into our living rooms.  Perhaps never before have we more fully understood the need for this particular level of defense.  This museum is dedicated to this amazing profession - what it has accomplished in the past and at least some of the steps it takes toward continued success in the future.  You'll be fascinated.  You'll be intrigued.  And you may, perhaps, even sleep better at night.

For more about travel for students:  Educational Tours: Travel as a Learning Experience

For more great cities for student travel:  Popular Destinations for Educational Tours